Windows 7

I've been asked quite a bit lately if I like and/or use Windows 7 so I'm just going to make a fast submission here.

Do I think that Win 7 is the best OS to ever come down the pipe? No, I don't.  I will say that it is better than Windows Vista, hands down, and that it has features and performance superior to what you find with Windows XP.  I'm not sure that those comments will help you decide if you should switch to Win 7 or not and they really were not intended to answer that.  There are just too many other determining factors in each individual scenario.

I basiclly like Win 7 and I have it installed in a multi-boot configuration on my primary system along with XP and Vista.  I don't currently use 7 as my primary OS at bootup but I'm sure that will change with time.  As a matter of fact I use the one that I dislike the most of the 3 choices.  That's probably just some sort of inclination towards self-punishment.

Whether or not you upgrade to Windows 7 is a choice which you have to make for yourself.  Now, I stated above that it has features that were not available in XP and/or Vista, the other side of the coin is that there are also some features missing that you will have to replace with third party software.  The most notable of these is an email client.  You had Outlook Express in XP and Windows Mail in Vista.  You have nothing to replace them in Windows 7 so you will have to install one yourself.  Microsoft will try to convince you that the way to go is with Windows Live! Mail.  When it comes to add-on applications, I personally prefer to stay away from anything that has Live! in the title with the possible exception of Live! Messenger and only then if you need the features it gives you.  If you only want a simple chat program then there are better alternatives which are not laden with features that you don't want or need.  Another consideration about the upgrade is, will your current hardware support Windows 7 efficiently?  Download and run the Windows 7 compatibility wizard to find out.  It's available on the Microsoft website in the download section.  be sure that your system doesn't barely meet the requirements.  If you don't have some headroom as far as hardware is concerned then don't even attempt a change.  If you are already running Vista then the odds of good success with an upgrade are greatly in your favor and believe me whaen I say that you will be much happier with 7 than Vista.

If you have more questions about this topic, I will attempt to answer them for you but an adequate answer is not guaranteed.